It was one of the biggest surprises of the second day at Wimbledon: Shintaro Mochizuki, a qualifier ranked just 151st in the world, defeated Ethan Quinn — ranked 47th — with a commanding 6-2, 7-6, 7-5 on Court 14. The Japanese player advances to the third round, once again underlining that he is among the most uncomfortable opponents on grass.
A dominant first set, a hard-fought second
Mochizuki began the match in near-flawless fashion. With a break point conversion rate of 45 percent and an outstanding 88 percent of service games held, he controlled the opening set at will. Quinn, who had only reached his ATP career-high of 47th on 29 June, found no answer to the Japanese player's varied and relentless game on the Court 14 grass — the first set went to Mochizuki in emphatic fashion, 6-2.
The second set became a battle of attrition. Quinn steadied his game, firing 12 aces and noticeably raising his serving level. Mochizuki nevertheless managed to force a tiebreak, and it was there that the Japanese player showed the stronger nerves, coming through 8-6. Quinn had two opportunities to take the set but was unable to convert either.
Quinn fights back — Mochizuki holds firm
In the third set, Quinn threw everything at his opponent. The 22-year-old from Fresno, who won the 2023 NCAA singles title with the Georgia Bulldogs and had reached the semifinal in Mallorca just weeks earlier, showed real fighting spirit. But Mochizuki refused to be knocked off course. The Japanese player took the deciding set 7-5 to seal victory in straight sets.
The statistics underline Mochizuki's superiority throughout: he finished with 39 winners to Quinn's 30, while committing just 29 unforced errors compared to 36 from the American. The difference was particularly stark on return — Mochizuki won 42 percent of return points, while Quinn managed only 32 percent.
Context: a qualifier with Wimbledon in his DNA
Mochizuki's victory is no bolt from the blue. The Japanese player came through qualifying in late June without dropping his composure, and walked onto court with a run of five consecutive Wimbledon wins — including the qualifying rounds — already behind him. He had already written his name into the history books back in 2019, becoming the first Japanese player ever to win a Grand Slam junior singles title — at Wimbledon, fittingly. The London grass evidently suits him down to the ground.
For Ethan Quinn, it is a tournament that ends sooner than expected. He had arrived in London with momentum after a straight-sets win over Luciano Darderi in the first round, but Mochizuki proved a step too far. The qualifier, meanwhile, marches on — and will face his next challenge in the third round.
